Improvement in car-couplings



ZSheets--SheetL F.,STREEYT. W Car-Couplings.

WITNESSES. l INVENTQR oc. M djvu-V,

A ttorneys.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

FRANK STREET, OF COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 158,541, dated January5, 1875; application filed May 28, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK STREET, of Council Bluffs, in the county ofPottawatta mie and in the State of Iowa, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Gar- Gouplings; and do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangementof a car-coupling that is not only self-coupling, but alsoself-uncoupling when either car runs off the track, as will behereinafter more fully set forth.

ln order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation,referriug to the annexed drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a plan view of my car-coupling, showing it extendingstraight from tlie car. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the drawheadturned to one side. Fig. 3 is a front View ot' my car-coupling when thedraw-head stands straight out from the car. Fig. 4 is a similar view,showing the draw-head turned to one side. Fig. 5 is a longitudinalVertical section of the car-coupling, showing the coupling-pin raisedand held by the drop-valve. Fig. 6 is a similarr view of a part thereof,showing the drop-valve turned back and the coupling-pin dropped down.

A represents the draw-head, constructed substantially in the same manneras is now usual, with flaring mouth, to facilitate the entrance of thecoupling-link. This drawhead is pivoted at its rear end to the car-Tralne by a bolt, a, and it is held straight out from the car by meansof side springs b b. B represents the ordinary coupling-pin, passingvertically down through holes in the drawhead, Within the draw-head,directly under the pin-hole in the top thereof, is preferably hung adrop-valve, U. This valve is hung upon pins b b in the sides of thedraw-head, and is provided in the center of its upper edge with asemicircular notch or cut-out, d, as shown particularly in Fig. 3. Whenthe couplingpin B is raised the valve G drops down perpendioularly, andthe pin may then rest in the notch d, so that when, in the act ofcoupling, the link D enters the draw-head it will turn the valve Gbackward on its pivots or trunnions and remove it from under the pin,allowing the same to fall down inside of the link and couple the cars.On each side of the draw-head B is a standard, E, which is forked at itsupper end, and has a roller, G, pivoted therein, said roller runningparallel with the side of the drawhead. From each roller G project twoarms, H and I, at right angles with each other. The arms H H extendinward across the top of the draw-head, and their inner ends are notchedfor the passage 'of the coupling-pin B, the head of said pin resting onthe ends of the arms. On the front of the car is a projection, J, whichextends in between the arms I I, leaving a small space between each armandsaid projection.

In case that either car should run off the track, 'it will pull thedraw-head of the other car to one side, and the projection J on said carwill then strike one of the arms, I, and turn that roller Gr on itsjournals, so that its arm H will lift the coupling-pin out of thecouplinglink, thus disengaging or uncoupling the cars automatically, andpreventing one car from dragging the other oft' from the track.

The roller G and its arms can also be used advantageously in uncouplingat will. l

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with the drawhead A and headed coupling-pin B, of thestandards E,

rollers G with arms H I, and the projection J V on the front of the car,all constructed substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In `testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my handthis 28th dayot April, 1874. Y

FRANK STREET. Witnesses:

C. L. EvERT,

F. H. WARREN.

